Human rights complaint issued over Manus

A formal complaint against security group G4S that the treatment of asylum seekers in Papua New Guinea failed to meet international human rights standards has been made to the OECD.

The Sydney Morning Herald reports the complaint, issued by the Human Rights Law Centre and a British NGO, Rights and Accountability in Development was made under the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development's Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises.

The complaint alleges the company participated in violence against asylum seekers when riots broke out at the centre in February and an asylum seeker was killed.

It adds detention on Manus itself is a violation of international human rights law, and conditions under G4S' watch were cruel and inhumane.

A spokesman for G4S said the company had received the complaint on Tuesday morning and is still considering the details, but is confident it has complied with its human rights and legal obligations.

G4S security staff were replaced in the centre in April by Transfield Services, which also manages the detention centre in Nauru.